Reagan-Era Weapons Hinder India Army as Modi to Stem Decay

Working off 1980s blueprints, India’s biggest state-run weapons maker last year went to the deserts of Rajasthan to test a locally produced piece of artillery. When it fired, the barrel cracked.

A year later, India’s military is still waiting for its first new piece of artillery since its last purchase in 1986. Besides delays from Indian manufacturers who are seeking to replicate a weapon Sweden designed three decades ago, plans to buy 1,500 mid-range howitzers have also failed to be executed.